Xpeng's X2 eVTOL aircraft made its first public flight, taking to the skies over Dubai after obtaining a special flight permit from the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).
An all-electric VTOL aircraft is flying in Dubai
The demonstration flight took place during the opening day of the GITEX International Technology Show at the Dubai World Trade Center, where the X2 flew through the sky without a human factor inside.
Built by Xpeng Aeroht, the company's aerospace division, the car is currently in its fifth generation and adopts a closed cockpit with a teardrop-shaped design.
While Xpeng built the plane almost exclusively from carbon fiber and equipped it with manual and self-driving flight modes.During its short flight, the Xpeng X2 received a rating from DCAA reviewers for its stability and standardization of the entire flight operation process.This is the first time that an autonomous flying vehicle from China has completed its assessment of operational risks abroad."GITEX has hosted pivotal moments over the years," said Trixie Le Mirmand, Executive Vice President of Events Management at Dubai World Trade Centre.Le Mirmand continued: “Today, we are proud to support the first public flight of the XPENG AEROHT X2 flagship flying car in partnership with Dubai International Chamber. Electric flying cars are the future of travel, and it is amazing to see history in the making today.While Xpeng refers to the X2 as a "flying car", the current fifth-generation product is best described as manned, autonomous quadcopters.However, Xpeng's plan is to equip the sixth-generation model with wheels so it can function as a flying car.This article was published on the Arab Turbo website